Another use of open-source ideas

Zoopla is a property buying and selling site which includes property value estimates with a web 2 twist. It suggests estimated current values for many homes (though I think the formula used where I live in London, which assumes an 8% increase over the last year, is rather optimistic) and invites browsers to provide more information about their own homes, by including ‘ClaimMyHome’ as one of the options for each property. So you can refine the details of your own home – and of course Zoopla’s model of the market in your street – by telling Zoopla how many rooms you have, whether you’ve had an extension built, and so on. All of which is very consistent with the idea of open-source construction of knowledge. I also notice that Zoopla has sold prices going back a bit further than the land registry data accessible through sites such as http://www.nethouseprices.com/ – my suspicion is that this is gathered from estate agents’ records.